


To mend an old wound.

by CelestialBirb



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: Artoria is clueless about parenting., F/F, F/M, Light Romance, Multiple Perspectives, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-05-07 20:50:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14679237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialBirb/pseuds/CelestialBirb
Summary: Following the events of Fate Zero Diarmuid through some miracle ends up meeting her again as a servant summoned by Chaldea? But the both quickly learn that the past is not such an easy thing to escape, especially when you're a heroic spirit. The story will feature shifting perspectives.





	1. Chapter 1

Saber wasn’t the sort of person to look a gift horse in the mouth, the possibility of getting summoned on its own was already a once in a blue moon occurrence, but a dystopian future where the world was on a constant countdown to its eventual demise should they not interfere with these so-called singularities in history… that in itself was already far more than she or any other servant bargained for upon their death.

Why fight for and risk their skin for those whose fates had no bearing on their lives? Especially when there was no obvious incentive as all these grails that they’d seek out would only ever be collected and stored by Chaldea. Personally, she still hadn’t come to her own answer as to whether or not this battle was really worth her time, really the only thing keeping her from for terminating  her contract was that her current master the people surrounding her were quite amenable

At present Artoria and Kojiro were escorting their master and Mash to the summoning room, a task Chaldea performed regularly through some complicated mix of science and magic could somehow summon a servant at regular intervals.

“Yet another summoning huh, let’s hope this next one is a nice fellow,” Assassin said as they walked, his arm occasionally twirling his drying pole between his fingers. Saber would merely give a light nod in response, armour lightly clanking against the light fabric of her antique dress as she matched his long strides. His words rang true as due to the randomised nature of Summoning’s in this world there was no telling what would happen, especially when it came to Berserkers who often lacked a clear mind of their own. There had been at least two occasions where the rest of them had to kill a freshly summoned Berserker class simply because they had made a beeline for their master as soon as they were summoned.

“As long as you guys stick close I’ll be fine,” Ritsuka said as she stepped up to the summoning circle, a calm focused look in her eyes as the command seals on her wrist began to glow. An unsurprising response from the young girl though it did little to reassure Mash who visibly tensed up at the sight of such a glow, Saber and Assassin, on the other hand, were much more relaxed yet ready to strike at a moments notice should the servant make any suspicious.

It was always pleasant to have a master that had full faith in their servant’s ability to protect them in any scenario, but Ritsuka’s history of arguably reckless battle strategies made it easy to be apprehensive as to whether their confidence was as a result of complacency or legitimate strategy. She gave Assassin a glance and noted his hand was hovering more closely to his blade hilt, no doubt under that unflappable demeanour he was ever ready to draw that blade in a single breath.

A familiar bright ray of blue magic began emanating around the massive summoning circle and Arturia instinctively took a step forward to more closely observe the summoning. The first was Craft essence, then another, and a third. The fourth time a summoning card showed up, and her invisible blade was immediately materialised in her right arm, her eyes watching the servant class that appeared and only relaxed slightly when it came up as Lancer.

The card dissolved into blue energy and in its place a young man materialized at Ritsuka’s feet, his body clad in green battle attire and slick dark hair that was brushed back with the exception of a single strand that hung on his face. He stood on one knee and had his head bowed in Ritsuka’s direction so she couldn’t see his fate, but the two spears slung on his back and hip were reason enough to keep her guard up.

“That powerful mana flowing through you…” the lancer said gazing up at her. “I sense it in abundance. That pact is made, from this point on I Diarmuid Ua Duibhne will act as your lance through the coming battles even should it cost me my life” he said his tone and posture bearing much similarity to that of a chivalrous Knight. He appeared to be well-meaning, and so she allowed her blade to dematerialise as she crossed her arms and watched Ritsuka’s reaction.

The ginger laughed sheepishly with a light blush on her cheeks. “Ah, welcome to Chaldea Lancer. I’m glad your eager to help I’m Ritsuka Fujimura, and I hope we can learn to work well together.”

“I would like that… Out of all the Grail Wars I’ve participated in this is the oddest era” he said as he stood up to take in his surrounding, the outline of his lean muscular build showing through his green vest. “I am not at all accustomed to sharing a master and being in the presence of three other servants doesn’t put me at ease, my apologies,” he said as he glanced over at Mash who averted her gaze uncertainly, then Assassin who returned his look with a polite smile

“You will grow accustomed to it with time, Lancer,” Kojiro said reassuringly. All of them with the exception of perhaps Mash who was only a demi-servant felt the uncertainty of sharing a master, in any conventional grail war their instincts told them to strike the other servants down before they could get to their master but in this case, they were all on the same side. Very off-putting to put itlightly.

“Yeah, the others are very kind, I think you’ll get along well,” Ritsuka said as she stepped over to Mash and put an arm on her shoulder. “This is Mash, she’s not a regular servant mainly because she’s kind of, well  from this era, but she’s getting better with her shield every day,” she said motioning to Assassin “That’s Kojiro, he looks like a Saber but he’s actually an Assassin class servant.”

“I see” Diarmuid said with a good-mannered smile as he looked over at Assassin again. Since Artoria was the only one out of his peripheral Ritsuka pointed in her direction.

“And that person over there’s Saber, she’s doesn’t talk much but she’s really nice when you get to know her,” Ritsuka said with a happy smile as Diarmuid turned to gaze at her, their eyes locking as his face fully came into view. He had revealed his name to them, so she already knew who he was, but there was something almost familiar about that gaze in his eyes that she couldn’t quite place like, akin to an old acquaintance from a different life… But that couldn’t be.

Their eras while not too far apart were still a few centuries removed from each other. But that intense gaze, and that mole under his eye… How was it she felt like she already knew what sort of person he was and felt so much familiarity from just a look, unless they had met in another war.

She was so swept up in her thought process that they had been starring each other down wordlessly for close to twenty-second.

Had Kojiro not cleared his throat she likely would have taken a few more seconds to realise it. “Ahem” the lavender-haired servant grunted prompting both of them to shift their gaze in embarrassment, she had the self-control to not let herself blush, but she was sure it was still a bit noticeable for both of them.

“My apologies for starring. Nice to meet you Saber” Lancer said with an apologetic smile.

“Not necessary, I stared as well” Artoria admitted despite her embarrassment.

The others gave them curious looks though no one asked the obvious question thanks to Ritsuka’s interruption.

“Well, now that we’ve summoned you, I should introduce to some of the others, Saber and Assassin, you guys don’t have to stick around if you’ve got stuff to do. You too Mash” Ritsuka said as she turned to the other two.

“Ah, I don’t mind helping him with the tour, Ritsuka,” Mash said with as she stepped up to Ritsuka who smirked in elation.

“In that case, I shall find some other way to busy myself. Perhaps find a tranquil place to practice my blade swings” Kojiro said. “By your leave then my master,” he said before dematerialising.

Saber herself had a few engagements she needed to get back to with Shiki and Atilla, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a bit interested in speaking more to Diarmuid, preferably discern the exact place they had met prior to Chaldea. Well, she supposed it would have to wait as her sense of responsibility outweighed that curiosity.

“I too will have to head back to the training room then master, feel free to call upon me should you have need,” she said as she turned to Mash and smiled, her gaze shifted to Diarmuid last. “Until I see you again then, Lancer.”

“Yes, farewell then Saber,” Diarmuid said with a wave as she left the room.

* * *

 

 **  
** About a month had passed between now and the day Diarmuid had arrived and so far his time at Chaldea had been hospitable at the very least and an outright blessing at the best of times, his only real desire in this war was to serve his new master, Ritsuka well. His honour demanded he bend to her every whim without so much as a second thought, but that also came with the wholehearted belief that his master owed him nothing for his loyalty.

A point many servants who did not share his notions of loyalty enjoyed poking at to no end, the likes of Medea and Edmond had laughed at the idea, the responses usually being along the lines of “The lords of your time weren’t men worth serving”.

 Criticisms he supposed had their worth but they who had lived a good portion of their lives being the ones that were served couldn’t possibly understand. Only one who had truly lived in that era would understand the majesty of such times. Yes, the life of a Knight was often short and Lords were seldom ever truly good men that wanted the best for their soldiers, he knew that better than most… But that wasn’t always true as servants like Iskandar would prove in spades.

He didn’t concern himself with arguing such things with those who were already set in their ways, and so long as they could carry their own weight in a battle, he had little issue working alongside them. However, given the option, he much preferred his current arrangement fighting alongside Artoria and Achilles. Their master was currently experimenting with a different formation to test everyone’s battle compatibility.

“You wield those lances well, Diarmuid” Artoria complimented as they stepped out of the training room, Atlanta had excused himself to do some other activity, leaving the two remaining servants to converse with each other. “In my experience lances are best used as two-handed weapons, yet you wield two with a level of finesse I haven’t quite seen anywhere else.”

“Your words do me honour me, Saber. But it is you who should be praised, your skill with that blade is unrivalled. In life, I was only ever decent with a sword, but the way you wield Excalibur I could not hope to ever match.”

“Oh hush, you more than measure up. We are both simply better suited to certain weapon styles” Artoria said as her Armour dematerialized from her dress.

He laughed at her response, her words rang true. He was far better suited to the Lance and she to the Sword, yet they could each switch roles should the need arise. “True enough, well then. I have nothing left to do at the moment so would you care to join me at the local tavern?”

She let out a light chuckle at his words, prompting Lancer to raise a puzzled brow at her.

“Did I say something humorous to you?” he asked, a bit confused. She shook her head, but the amused smile lingered as she glanced off in the exits direction.

“Somewhat, but my amusement comes from making the same mistake.”

“Oh?”

“The people of this era refer to it as a ‘cafeteria’ or ‘mess hall’ she explained as she motioned for them to head out.

“Ah, I shall bear that In mind,” he said as they stepped out of the training room and made a beeline for the cafeteria. Once they had arrived, they’d picked out one of the ‘trays and picked some random meals that looked appetising. The place was relatively open but the sight of two servants instantly had drawn all eyes to them, it wasn’t unusual for servants to make use of the mess hall despite having no need for food, but they still drew attention. Nonetheless but paid it little mind. After that, the two servants picked some empty seats a fair bit away from the Chaldea workers and dug into their meals.

They’d long figured out that they had crossed blades in some other Grail War, though the actual details still eluded them. But considering how well they worked together, it felt more akin to two long time comrades fighting side by side rather than two strangers who had learned how to better complement each other in a battle.

They ate in silence for a minute or so before Diarmuid interrupted.

“So then, Artoria. Have you been able to recall anything else from our previous war?” he asked Saber who was clearly having her fill of all the food, happily stuffing herself with another slice of stake when he asked. She almost seemed a little dissatisfied from the interruption, an amusing sight though he refrained from bringing attention to it.

She took a moment to swallow and wipe her mouth with a cloth before answering.

“A few minor events here and there, though from my recollection our only interactions were on the battlefield. Most of it is just my Master and me…” she explained with her voice trailing off as placed a thoughtful hand to her chin. She looked like she had a thought at the tip of her tongue but in a single instant her eyes snapped shut and she sighed. “I was on the verge of recalling something, but the thought left me in an instant, my apologies Diarmuid,” she said, Vexation clear on her face.

He shook his head. “You need not apologise, my memories are also rather vague, though you definitely remember much more than I do.”. His only recollection aside from his masters name and face was Saber and her indomitable warrior spirit, he couldn’t recall the actual event of that war in great detail, while Saber’s memory was more like a dusty painting in need of cleaning his were just fractured recollection of moments and conversations, the chronology of which eluded him.

Without either of them pushing the matter silence fell on them again and without a word they both resumed eating their meals. A few minutes later their plates had been cleared and Diarmuid washed some of the ramen he’d eaten down with some water. He was not used to this quality of food, it was a pleasant experience to share with the king of Knights.

“Well this was a pleasant experience, the food here’s much more filling than anything from my era had to offer”.

His timing couldn’t have been more impeccable as his line was immediately followed by an audible grumbling sound from Artoria, or her tummy to be more accurate. The heat instantly rose to her cheeks and she averted ger gaze to the side. “My… Apologies Lancer”

He smiled slightly at the sight, it was quite a humorous thing to behold the usually stoic King of Knights appear so abashed. “Are you still hungry Saber?” he asked, it tone reflected no mocking or amusement, it was a mere question.

A moment passed between them but Diarmuid eventually got his answer in the rumble that had her several shades redder. She sighed in defeat. “I suppose I am, I apologise for my lapse in decorum. I am beyond mortified” she said, refusing to look at him in shame.

“Such things are beyond your control Saber, it only serves to aggravate you to linger on them,” he said, if anything it was quite humanising to see her indulge in such idle pleasures, he was just trying to reassure her of that without accidentally being rude. He imagined that in life she had often taken up the mannerisms of a man to better hide her true nature, it wouldn’t be out of the question for her to be somewhat sensitive about that since she was still woman.

“…” she held her tongue, evidently not really knowing what to say that wouldn’t make this any more awkward. In that case, he would have to act for her.

“As it turns out I could go for seconds as well. Care to join me?” he asked prompting her to look up at him. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, and the glint in her eyes instantly told him that she knew what he was trying to do.

“I appreciate the indulgence, Lancer,” she said as they both stood and headed back to the buffet area.

* * *

 

“Another summoning then?” Diarmuid asked Ritsuka as he gazed up at her from polishing his Gae Dearg.

“Yup, Saber’s helping Mash train for today and since protocol says I can’t summon without at least two servants present ‘for my own safety’ as they put it. I need you there. So, you up for it?” she asked with a pout as she glanced over at the command seals on her hand. It was odd how she cared to ask his opinion on such matter. He nodded and slung them over his back.

“Of course, Master, you only need to ask”

“Nice, Now I’ll just find Sherlock. He’ll probably whine though, dudes always readings” she said trailing off as he followed across the servant resting areas and found the young Caster busying himself with a book in hand.

As his master said it did take some prodding to convince the man to put away his book, he would have berated the servant if he were more adamant but thankfully he gave up relatively easily and escorted them to the Summoning room.

Once they arrived they both took their position at either end of their summoning circle, Diarmuid’s twin spears held at the ready while the detective casually flipped through a small book, though he still had his staff levitating close by, enough to suggest he was somewhat paying attention.

Just as before the circle illuminated with and mana flowed through it, several flashes light and minute later an armoured servant stood through before Ritsuka.

“Hello and welcome to Chaldea” Ritsuka stated with the warmest smile she could muster. The servant snorted behind their helmet and glances around at the other two standing in the room, no doubt they were thrown off by the extra mana flowing through their master.

“Well, this is automatically the weirdest Grail War ever. You sure I won’t end up killing one of these servants, master?” the voice was effeminate, yet gruff, an adolescent boy or young woman perhaps?

Diarmuid only tensed up slightly at the threat as he felt the servants intense gaze from behind that helmet. Before he could reply Sherlock spoke up.

“Master, can I go?” he asked sounding somewhat impatient as he closed the book shut, Diarmuid couldn’t tell if he had finished a three hundred page book in a matter of minutes or simply lost patience but from the time he’d known the servant both seemed equally as likely.

Ritsuka rolled her eyes at him. “Sure, I guess.”. It was barely a second later that he dematerialised and left her with just Diarmuid and the new servant. “Sorry, he’s a bit of Grump when he’s interrupted, but there are lots of nice servants here.”

“Yeah, the other obnoxious servant mana’s kind of hard to ignore” they replied as a clanking sound could be heard behind the helmet, perhaps some kind of mechanism. “Lots of rotten servants attached to your mana and some good ones too. I only care for one though” they said as a pair of emerald eyes came into view behind that helmet. Enough to give him pause, this servant bared an uncanny resemblance to Artoria, perhaps one of her alters? No, she had her own distinct aura about her. The mana was much wilder an unrestrained opposed to King of Knights more disciplined and aura.

“Uh, you do?” Ritsuka said a bit puzzled by the immediate sense of agency this servant had.

“I’m Mordred Pendragon, the only heir of King Arthur and Britain’s future king. Tell me? Is my father here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this first chapter, haven't yet decided how long its gonna be but we'll see. Just as some minor clarification I'm aware that depending on the summon Sabers name can come in three or so variations, something I suspect was done for some intended symbolism of the different versions of her... Yeah, to me seems like needlessly confusing people for the sake of 'nuance' which I don't really care for xD. Her name is most commonly called Artoria and that's the spelling I'll go with.


	2. Chapter 2

She had a measure of experience when it came to training soldiers, not the most extensive admittedly as the constant needs of the throne didn’t allow for much time for such things, but she did preside over drills and jousting events every few weeks or so, amongst a plethora of other responsibilities.

So, when it came to guiding Mash she could confidently say she had some idea of how to approach her training.

“Watch your centre of gravity” she warned as she jabbed at the shield. She was largely pulling her punches to avoid hurting the girl, Mash still had a ways to go before she was ready to fight on an equal playing field but she was definitely improving.

“Right,” Mash said as she adjusted her footing mid-block which she could confidently say in any real battle would be a costly mistake.

“Don’t avert your gaze when you change footing, your enemies won’t wait for you to get comfortable” she said sternly, applying just a bit more strength into her attacks and forcing Mash onto her back foot. So far, the girl had all the raw power of a servant, but her technique was almost non-existent, which she could somewhat understand considering Artoria herself had no experience whatsoever with such a weapon, but there were many ways to mitigate the drawbacks of a large shield that Mash simply wasn’t capitalising on.

“Right!” Mash said bringing her gaze back up to Artoria who closed the distance yet again, forcing her to block. If nothing else the girl was tenacious even if she wasn’t very skilled. Still, she was becoming complacent with her counter strikes, no doubt growing accustomed to only blocking, something in need of correcting.

Letting the mana flow into her arms, she struck hard enough to knock the shield from her arm and watched it skid harmlessly across the training room floor.  Mash sighed while rubbing her wrists, perhaps she had been too violent in that instance… Well if nothing else it stood as a learning exercise. 

“You’ve done quite well actually Mash, compared to our previous duels your reflexes have improved.” She said with a pleased smile as she placed a reassuring arm on the girl's shoulders. “That being said you need to improve your footwork before we can move to any shield techniques.”

“Thanks, Saber, though I don’t ever see myself being strong enough to take you on” Mash said with a sheepish smile as she went to retrieve her shield. “

“You need not compare yourself to me, simply focus on being your best self, Mash” she said as she looked over at the exit. “I suppose that’s enough for today, let's resume this another time then”

 “Alright then Senpai, I’ll try to get better with that before the next session,” Mash said with a diligent bow a student would give to a teacher.

Artoria gave a slight bow in response before dematerialising her armour and heading to the exit. She didn’t have anything else to do for the day, usually in those cases, she would often find company with the likes of Atlanta, Jeanne or Diarmuid but all three were off doing something else, whether they were helping Ritsuka with some task or had some other responsibility they had to attend to.

Artoria herself was itching to have another mission to attend to but she supposed now was good a time as any to just rest, everything in moderation was her usual policy and it so happened that she had been on her feet for the last ten hours.

“Rest it is then” she muttered to herself as she slid open the door leading out of the locker room and strolled down the long white hallway. However, a sudden shift in the surrounding mana had her stop in her tracks as her master voice could be heard some feet behind her.

“Hey Saber! Hold up a second” Ritsuka said prompting her to look over her shoulder and glanced at the ginger head.

“Yes master?” she asked as she turned around to face Ritsuka who was accompanied by Diarmuid and… It couldn’t be. Crimson marks along pristine silver armour and a face that stood on its shoulders that bared a likeness to her so eerie it was outright hideous.

Her eyes narrowed into a dagger-like glare, and her heart skipped a beat but she didn’t move, instead shifting her gaze to Ritsuka who watched her reaction a bit wearily before looking at the servant, then back to her.

“This servant wanted to speak to you…” she said her tone trailing off as the sudden tense aura caught up with her. Diarmuid himself looked rather uncertain but simply watched as the two identical Knights regarded each other.

“I did, thanks for leading me to him, Master” Mordred said, flashing Ritsuka a smirk. Literally a second later there was a flash of red mana and Mordred was within arm’s reach of Artoria, Clarent drawn and aiming a downward diagonal strike right at the King of Knights.

Just as quickly she materialised Excalibur and blocked the strike, the force of their metal clashing shattering all the surrounding window and knocking a yelping Ritsuka off her feet, her smaller human frame forcing her to tumble backwards. Fortunately, Diarmuid caught her before she could slam into any of the walls or miniature knight suits lining the walls. Had she been even a second slower she was certain her head would have been separated from her body in one fell swoop.

“You know of all the ways I pictured seeing you again, this wasn’t one of them,” Mordred said with her grin widening ever so slightly. Her eyes held nothing but malice and bloodlust as far her as Artoria pushed back against Mordred’s blade, her shoes digging right into the marble floor as she pushed Mordred back a few inches. “I thought about what I’d say to you a hundred times over… how to make you understand what you did to me. But seeing you at arm’s reach, its funny Father… I just want you dead”

With that last line, Mordred broke away and came for another strike which Artoria promptly parried and followed up with a riposte that Mordred ducked under before attacking again. This time she sidestepped the strike and glared back at Mordred. She was still as spiteful and full of hate as she’d been on their duel on Camlann-no even more so, but with a higher resolve to fight her.

“Of all the heroic spirits that could have been summoned…” she muttered under her breath as she held her concealed blade up with both arms. Mordred snorted in response.

“Oh, now my presence is worth acknowledging, is it? Not going to just hold your tongue and walk away?”  the treacherous Knight asked as she rested Clarent on her shoulder, her gaze mocking and indifferent. “Too bad I’d rather just have your head now”

She could see little point in even trying to talk her down, Mordred was quite clearly committed to killing her right here and now. Something she couldn’t allow. ‘ _I’ll have to end this quickly then’_ she thought as they both postured up to strike again.

However, just as the two Knight lunged at each other they felt the completely dominating influence of a command seal being activated.

“That’s enough, both of you stop!” Ritsuka yelled as she raised her arm up and forced them both to stop in their tracks. A feeling that could only best be described as having your own body fight against you, she willed her arms and legs to move but she could barely manage the mildest wiggle.

Mordred wasn’t doing any better as she ended up falling forward from the unexpected interference. “Tch… Damn it” she muttered under her breath, knowing her opportunity was gone. Stepping past Mordred Ritsuka gave an apologetic bow to Artoria who gave a slightly dismayed look

“I’m so sorry, Saber. She said she was your kid so I thought you two would be happy to see each other. But I had no idea she’d try to kill you” she said, the look on their face clearly reflecting sincerity in its purest form.

Unsurprisingly, Diarmuid chimed. “Part of the blame rests with me as well, had I known this was the nature of your relationship I would have never allowed her anywhere near you,” Diarmuid said in that usual over apologetic manner of his. The initial effects of the command seals had worn off now and she felt the range of motion return to her body, though that went both ways.

She shook her head. “It is fine, neither of you could not have known and I’m more than capable of defending myself should the need arise,” she said, moving her gaze to Mordred as she pulled herself up from her blade, dusting her armour of any dirt.  She looked up and their eyes met but this time her eyes reflected a controlled fury.

Without any prompting Diarmuid raised his Gae Dearg in the treacherous Knights direction.

“I know not what quarrel it is you have with the King of Knight’s, but I suggest you table that anger if you have any wish to stay in this era. However, If you insist on fighting know that you will be facing two servants, Mordred” Diarmuid stated, his tone calm but the threat they conveyed was very real.

“That isn’t necessary Lancer,” Artoria said, Mordred was a deeply personal matter and she felt obligated to handle it herself.

Realising the odds were no longer in her favour Mordred cursed under her breath and twirled Clarent in one hand restlessly.

 “Can’t help it in that case” she almost whispered, but it was just audible enough to hear. Ritsuka, took a step in Mordred’s direction, annoyance clear in her eyes. It did little to phase her though as the Crimson Knight’s gaze reluctantly shifted to her master.

“I don’t know what happened in the past, but this is the first and last time shit like this can go. If you want to stay here then you are forbidden from ever attacking Artoria ever again. Got it?” Ritsuka was speaking as a master now, her usually ditsy and happy attitude melting away, though it was hard to consider someone so young threatening.

Mordred flashed her an annoyed look but eventually sighed in defeat. “Yeah yeah, got it. I won’t attack that crappy excuse of a human being ever again” Mordred said using Clarent to point at Arturia in a mocking gesture.

“Saber!” Ritsuka yelled in a reprimanding fashion, clenching her fists with an eye twitching. It was clear she was trying to refrain from using a command seal to punish Mordred in some way. “Nevermind, I’m going to talk to Dr. Romani on how to deal with you if you keep this attitude up” she said glancing over at Diarmuid who came back to her side. “I’m going to let this slide just this once, so we can get a move on… But first, your going to apologise to her”. It was a statement, not a request, prompting Mordred’s eyes to widen in shock and disgust at the mere thought.

She wasn’t the only one though as Artoria glanced over at her master rather uncertainly, she did not need or want one from Mordred.

“I’m willing to go through whatever punishment you have Master, but I would sooner drown myself than apologise to her” Mordred stated, an annoyed look in her eye. Though this time Ritsuka didn’t budge.

“I said. Apologise” she said as the command seal on her wrist shined and gasped as they willed her to speak.

There was something just very wrong about this scene that Ritsuka wasn’t understanding, she could see the amount of raw venom in her would-be daughter’s eyes as she fought the urge to speak with every fibre of her being,

After brief pause Mordred gradually spoke words in strangled rasps. “I’m… Ss-sorry for attacking you… Arth…urrrr. Frrgive me” she said, looking beyond livid at what she was forced to do

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Ritsuka said as Mordred fell to her knees her, a look of utter mortification on her face as she reflected on just what Ritsuka had forced her to do. Without a word the Knight dematerialised. Frowning Ritsuka facepalmed. “That probably made things worse didn’t it”

Artoria shook in consternation, that was an understatement. Only God knows what she would do to vent out that anger. “Master, your intentions were good but you should not have done that” Artoria stated, feeling a familiar sting in her chest as she dematerialised her blade, at least for now Mordred would no longer be a problem. Still, she’d be on her guard.

“Yeah, I’m just no good with the way she acted. Still I hope she can get along with some of the others here”

“…”

Ritsuka looked back at Artoria, noting her silence. “Guessing you don’t really want her here though”

“Her presence complicates matters, but I don’t bear her any ill will” Artoria clarified as she placed an arm on her hip. Diarmuid had held his silence the whole time, rightly feeling it was not his place to talk about such things though he had yet to state his actual opinion on the matter and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t care for his input.

“But she really hates you, huh”

“The matter is very complicated to put it simply” she admitted. An awkward silence soon followed as Ritsuka searched for her next words but found herself speechless. In the end, her shoulders slumped and she facepalmed.

“Well, I guess I should give her an hour at most then we’ll go look for her Lancer”

“Yes master,” he said as he looked over at Artoria and gave an apologetic smile which she returned in kind.

With a last wave, Saber turned on her heel and continued making her way to her bedroom. Though all things considered, she’d be sleeping with a single eye open for a long while now.     


	3. Chapter 3

Anger was hardly an emotion she was unfamiliar with, more so than she liked to admit. All things considered, the Knight of treachery wasn’t better known for her penchant for solving most problems with her sword rather than her impeccable charm and charisma. She was horrible at articulating her feelings through any means other than her blade, It was just more straightforward than words and as long as she was loyal to the round table there was little issue with whether she was talkative or not.

When she was summoned to Chaldea she’d ran the scenario over and over in her head on how she’d approach Father. Maybe just walk right up and talk to him? Maybe keep her distance but project her mana often enough that Father could confront her on her own? Did she even want to see Arthur again considering the brutal end her life met when they fought? Why did she even ask to see the root of all her misery?

She didn’t know how she managed to restrain herself at the last second from skewering her master after that humiliating command seal but in those five to six seconds that her senses had returned she decided she needed to get some space or she’d do something very rash.

In this case, nothing said seclusion quite like the freezing Tundra surrounding Chaldea. Slipping through the destroyed windows in spirit form she ended up materialising herself a kilometre or so away from the premises and laid waste to any tree or rock she could find. The cold was considerable even as a heroic spirit, but she didn’t care, simply channeling all her pent-up rage through Clarent and crushing every inanimate object in her immediate path.

After close to fifteen minutes of unrestrained destruction she heaved a tired sigh and retracted her blade from the partly destroyed boulder, her anger having subsided enough for her to catch her breath. Mordred was still pissed about what happened and she’d be damned if she was going to let Ritsuka get away with it…Or at least that’s what her pride told her, the more rational part of her brain was telling her that any retaliation would not justify the punishment that would likely come of it.

 _‘Not to mention, the dozen other servants sharing mana with her probably wouldn’t let me_ ’ she thought as she dematerialised Clarent. Regardless of what she did next one thing was certain, she’d be brooding on this for a while.

Cursing under her breath she entered her spirit form yet again.

 

* * *

 

He had been expecting the search for the Knight of treachery to be long and tedious, amongst other things. After her attempt on Artoria’s life and Ritsuka’s subsequent act of punishment she certainly looked ready to travel as far away from there as possible. Other than the knee-jerk instinct to shield his master from her wrath at that moment he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the young Knight, on one hand having a good friend and comrade like Saber attacked was irksome and already had him inclined to treat her like an enemy but on the other Artoria’s conflicted reaction told him there was much more going on under the surface.

They started their search for her on the roof and worked down from there, Chaldea was a big place and there were a lot of places for a servant to hide. Of course, they’d find her eventually, Saber’s were hardly known for being stealthy and by his estimates, they’d find her in maybe a few hours. But after about thirty minutes of searching, she ended up materialising right in front of Diarmuid and Ritsuka, surprisingly enough. A strong passive-aggressive aura emanating from her as she gazed at them indifferently.

Ritsuka had attempted to apologise but Mordred gave a dismissive wave saying “Don’t bring it up again, and I’ll pretend it didn’t happen”. As things stood she gained nothing from antagonising Ritsuka and they all knew it, his Gae Dearg would sooner skewer her than tolerate any attempts to bring harm to the young mage.

So, after several seconds of awkwardly standing around Diarmuid suggested they resume the tour of Chaldea, a suggestion they instantly jumped on.

That was a whole week ago and after they’d showed Mordred to her room at the end he hadn’t seen her since... Of course, that did little to stop him from pondering just what had Artoria done to make her own daughter (or son as Mordred preferred) hate her so much. He certainly didn’t believe she was at all the sort of Knight to every do anything without a reason and few things were ever black and white. His own history of unintended treachery could attest to that. Still he needed to know for himself.

They were in her room this time, Diarmuid casually leaning against a wall with his arms folded while Artoria sat at her bedside, her arms slowly fiddling with some of the Hemmings on her dress “Tch, a spirit form would make this so much less tedious” Artoria stated as she sewed back some of the mild rips around the skirt.

“Come to think of it, why can’t you go into spirit form, Saber?” Diarmuid asked as Artoria worked with a needle and thread in hand. After a moment she looked up at him as though considering if the information was something too sensitive to reveal or not, she shrugged in the end.

“Well, the truth is I never actually died before becoming a heroic spirit” she stated as she brought her head back to her skirt and continued working on it.  That was certainly news to him, he’d always assumed that was mandatory for any heroic spirit that wasn’t Ruler.

“What? How exactly does that work?”

“Your guess is good as mine, I’m afraid lancer. All I remember is wanting a second chance at to fix my mistakes just seconds before my vision faded” she admitted with a slight frown. Of course, remembering also meant reliving all the bad memories in her life, needless to say she likely had a lot of them.

“I did not mean to distress you by bringing that up, my apologies, Saber” he said with a slight bow of his head. She giggled from that response. He supposed it was somewhat typical of him to be the one apologising for every little thing.

“Lancer, your much too humble for your own good. I already know you to be someone I can trust so you need not worry about upsetting me” she said with a soft smile just as the nail slid from her fingers and rolled along the white marble floor, prompting her to curse under her breath, though it wasn’t just any old words, no he’d recognise his own native dialect anywhere.

“Damnú air **”** she muttered under her breath.

 Being much closer Diarmuid picked it up and handed the nail back to Artoria who resumed her stitching.

“I hadn’t realised you spoke my Irish tongue, Saber” he said as he watched her work… and wow she had a lot of those fabric tears in her dress from her last outing. And at the rate she was going she wouldn’t be done with the task anytime soon. “Saber, would you like some help with that?” he asked which prompted her raise a questioning brow at his question. He needed to phrase that better, it came out sounding more forward than he intended

“Well of course, in my time there were many Saxons and Irishmen that migrated into Britain, I was never fluent, but I learned enough to carry a conversation” she said as she sewed one of the rips shut. Her response to the latter question was even more surprising. “Ah… Well, it would certainly expedite the process, though do you have any experience with sewing?”

He laughed slightly as she grabbed a spare nail and offered it to him. “I do actually” he replied as he took the nail and got on his knees at her feet. “I often sewed my comrades battle attire shut during adventures. I was one of Lord Fionn’s longest-serving Knight’s so I often took it upon myself to ensure the novices in our ranks didn’t allow their disregard for personal hygiene and decorum to put them in early graves”

A bit hesitantly he ran his fingers along the hem of her dress, quickly examining its design. Its soft texture and noble blue and Gold design were indicative of a woman of high social standing of the middle ages. Yet there was a certain restraint to its design, in such a way that any girl of her time with a decent enough social standing could be pictured wearing it while still fitting the calm, noble aura Saber had, a truly fitting choice of attire for her.

“I had not realised you had a such nurturing side” she remarked with a smile as he grabbed some matching thread and got to work on her dress. He could feel just the slightest blush from her statement as his hands brushed against her calves.

“Knighthood was my life and the men at my side were brothers… Nurturing you say, I had never considered it that way, but I suppose that is an apt description”. He smirked slightly at the thought, he was often treated like an elder brother among many of his comrades so perhaps they did consider him nurturing in some regards.

“It was much the same with the Knights of the round, the bonds I’ve forged on the battlefield were often the strongest I ever had” she said as she got to worked on some of the cuts at her torso. With Diarmuid’s aid they were now working at a considerably faster rate, so this was what it was like to meet a kindred spirit.

They shared a short but pleasant laugh over the almost mirrored image of how they both lived their lives. She was usually pleasant but never the sort to let herself grow too informal. But today she was in a particularly cheerful mood, weighing his options this was probably the best time to get this off his chest.

“Mind if I ask you a personal question?” he asked as he finished his third stitch and moved on to the last one at her shins. This was probably the most physical they’d ever been but Saber didn’t seem to mind at all.

“You can ask me any question, Lancer. I can’t promise an answer though” Arturia replied, her tone a cross between mild teasing and serious.

Hopefully, she hadn’t instantly guessed what he was going to ask, though that would be very like her. With a deep breath he looked up at her

“May I ask what exactly quarrel Mordred has with you, King of Knights?”

 

* * *

 

It took some time for her to adjust to the unusual softness of her bed, the convoluted electronic contraption that was supposed to open the shutters and of course the constant anxiety of always sensing a dozen other servants in every direction that made it hard to ever relax in her room without expecting to see one of the Hassan assassin’s blades at her throat.

But after a week or so of this she could say she’d adjusted well enough, though she’d made it a point to avoid other servants whenever she could help it, for the most part, the others were content to leave her alone.

But now it was time for her first singularity mission, at least that’s what Mash called them. Nothing she couldn’t handle, but the thought of having to take orders from Ritsuka wasn’t at all a thrilling prospect, she still had a moderate amount of resentment to the girl for what she did. But for the sake of moving forward she’d compartmentalise those feelings and serve obediently, for now.

Her armour clanked lightly as she walked down the long white hallway towards the place Mash had pointed out. She knew servants worked in teams of three’s during missions, it didn’t make much difference to her though, so long as they didn’t get in her way.

Turning the next corner, she could see a half open door leading into what appeared to be a sort of armoury. It was spacious and had lots of lab coat dressed scientists walking about, but most noticeably there were a pair of servants standing off to the side next to a large steel door that looked like it led to a summoning room.

The first servant was a large burly guy that was maybe seven feet tall. He had a long red cape and some light armour that was reminiscent of ancient Grecian battle attire. The second person was a tall woman that could pass as someone in their mid to late twenties with ridiculously long locks of lavender hair that went all the way down to her ankles, she wore some dark boots that doubled as thigh leggings, a matching black dress that barely went past her hips, a blood red tattoo that covered part of her forehead and a blindfold that matched her hair, was she blind perhaps?

She narrowed her eyes from the doorway and pulled out the two images Mash had handed to her, yup these would be her teammates for this mission. Well that was two of them, now that just left-.

“Hey Saber” Ritsuka said from behind Mordred prompting her to wince slightly and look over her shoulder. She was wearing a winter jacket and a scarf around her neck, Chaldea was in a state of constant snow, but the interior heating wasn’t really an issue as far as she could tell, they were probably going somewhere cold in that case.

“Ritsuka” she replied, it was just an acknowledgment and not a greeting. Ritsuka’s smile wavered only slightly at her reply but instead, with her fingers locked behind her back she motioned for Mordred to follow as she stepped into the large workroom, with Mordred trailing behind her.

Making their way over she could see that the large male was making conversation with the woman, though she seemed a bit less enthusiastic about conversation than he was. He could definitely pass for the womanising type or was that too presumptuous of her. 

Soon enough they’d stepped within earshot of the conversation. “Most impressive, chains are a very unconventional weapon choice for a fellow rider. I’ll have to see a demonstration in the coming battles” the man said with a rough chuckle as he turned to Ritsuka and Mordred. “Alas, seems our last comrade and lovely young master have arrived”

“… Thank you, Rider” the woman replied a bit uncertainly when she also noticed their presence.

Ritsuka gave a friendly smile at the “Hey guys, all ready for the new mission?” she asked as she placed an arm on her hip. Two riders and one Saber, wasn’t having two servants of the same class in a team a bit unbalanced though?

“The great Iskandar is never unprepared for an opportunity to delve into parts unknown, Master” the man said with a cheerful grin as his gaze shifted to Mordred. “Ah, and who might you be young Knight?” he asked Mordred who glanced back from behind her helmet.

So, he was Alexander the great, well he was a lot bigger than she expected. She considered blowing him off or giving a vague response… But that didn’t feel right, he had proudly named himself as a Heroic spirit and principle dictated she return the greeting. “Mordred Pendragon, strongest Knight of the round table” she said smirking behind her helmet.

He looked slightly taken aback by her response, but his smirk quickly returned twice as prominent. “You’re the King of Knights child? Interesting” he said as he stroked his beard.

“Yeah, I am, not a problem is it?”. He chuckled at the hint of a threat in her tone, hardly acknowledging it.

“Quite the opposite actually, rarely does one get the opportunity to fight alongside heroes from eras long passed. The King of Knight is… Let’s say she’s an acquaintance from a previous grail war, though she likely does not remember”

Folding her arms, she looked slightly taken aback. “Huh…? Alright, so what does that have to do with me?”. This made him let out another loud chuckle that made her right eye twitch.

“Time will tell” he replied rather cryptically.

'Make sense or bugger off' was what she wanted to say, but Ritsuka beat her to it.

“Iskandar’s always in a good mood,” she said with a smile before turning to the woman who had been standing to the side quietly the whole time. “And over here’s Medusa, she’s really smart and dependable”

“Thank you, master. And nice to make your acquaintance, Knight of the round” she said with a polite nod to Mordred, she didn’t seem to be too talkative though.

‘ _Medusa, as in the gorgon_?’ she thought to herself as she regarded the servant. From what she understood of the grails requirements only humans and Demi-gods could be servants, the Gorgons were supposed to be deities so how did that work?  

With a shrug, she nodded back “Nice to meet you”. She then turned to Ritsuka. “Now that the formalities are out of the way. What exactly are we going for this mission” with an eager grin, Ritsuka replied.

“Norway, or fifth century Norway to be more accurate. We’re going to be meeting some Norse heroes!” she said with a fire in her eyes.

She wouldn’t deny it, she felt a pang of excitement at that statement, though for less wholesome reasons than Ritsuka’s supposed desire to converse with old legends. The prospect of fighting any formidable opponent always excited her, and when it came to whole mythologies there’s always bound to be several strong servants for her to fight.

A single glance at Iskandar revealed a similar excitement, Medusa, on the other hand, seemed as indifferent as ever to the prospect.

“Sounds promising” she said, her tone barely containing her enthusiasm. Maybe this wouldn’t be boring after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading as much I did writing. Would have released this a lot sooner but real life commitments got in the way. As for the next chapter I generally avoid giving dates but I'll just say it'll be out soon. This may end up being a long fic.


	4. Chapter 4

"Even with all these layers I'm still freezing!" Ritsuka whined as she laid her sack down on the floor, an exhausted look on her face as she leaned against a tree for support.

Upon entering the singularity in Denmark, or south Danes as it was referred to at the time Mordred took it upon herself to scout ahead while the other two helped their master carry her things. Their first order of business was to find the nearest settlement and ask around to get their bearings, problem with that was they ended up getting warped into the middle of a forest while it was snowing, which was just fine for servants but Ritsuka was a freezing mess, making it necessary for them to find shelter first.

Being the scout, her duty was to find a suitable place for them to make camp, a task which all her forest-related adventures as a Knight already had her predisposed to perform with ease, though she now had the added benefit of enhanced strength, skill and durability her servant status allowed her. After combing a kilometre radius of the forest vegetation three times in and still couldn't sense any heroic spirits or Magecraft in the region. Still, she lingered several minutes after to be sure.

Once she was sure there were no threats in the area she made a beeline back to the others by effortlessly jumping from one branch to the other until she landed in the middle of their clearing a few feet from the tree Ritsuka was leaning on, the ginger mage rubbing her gloved hands together in a feeble attempt to stay warm.

"I've surveyed the area three times Ritsuka, there's no one in the area" she announced as she stood up and dusted some snow off her armour. Meanwhile, Iskandar and Medusa were in the middle of laying down the other supplies off to the side While Ritsuka caught her breath, a telltale sign she wasn't accustomed to walking long distances.

With a deep breath, she turned to Mordred and stood straight, "Thanks Mordred… I'll set up the bounded field now" she said as she unzipped her bag and pulled out some metal cylinders that had rune inscriptions along their base, the flow of mana emanating from them.

It was hard to tell what time it was with the clouds blocking out the sun but by the amount of light they were getting they seemed to be approaching dusk, with that in mind camping was a better option than trudging on through the night with at Ritsuka's much slower pace.

There wasn't much work to laying it out, the mage would simply plant the cylinder between the snow at one end so it was standing upright and then repeat the process three more times in a circle around the camp, once the last one was up she snapped her fingers and a translucent dome formed over them for a split second before fading away, the sensation of magic circuits flowing between the cylinders was the only indication that a bounded field was up.

"Having fun in Norway, Ritsuka?" Dr. Roman asked as his holographic apparition appeared next to the thoroughly exhausted girl.

Ritsuka pouted in response. "Tch, you knew the weather would be crap and didn't tell me" Ritsuka said as she pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Come on, I did tell you to dress warmly. Its just your luck that you were warped right in the middle of Winter" Roman said with an apologetic smile as she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. "Oh, Mash is here by the way" he said as he stepped aside for the demi-servant to come into view.

"Are you doing alright Senpai?" Mash asked, looking somewhat concerned about Ritsuka.

"I'll be fine, we'll just find the cause of the singularity and get rid of it like any of the last ten times. It's just a little colder than I generally like this time" Ritsuka said with a reassuring smile, Mash didn't seem all too pleased though. From what she'd heard the girl had taken a nasty injury in their last mission and had to sit this one out. Yet she was still eager to be there.

"Still wish I could be there though, doesn't sit well with me not being able to defend you if things get dangerous" she said with a frown, only realising what she'd said a second later and had avery noticeable blush even with the holographic projections. Yeah, she was new here but she could tell Mash probably fancied their ginger master more than she cared to admit.

Deciding to focus on something else before the conversation got sappier Mordred noticed Medusa was in the middle of setting up Ritsuka's tent while Iskandar was staring out into the forest contemplatively.

"I'll gather some firewood. Anything else you think we might need Gorgon?" she asked, looking towards Medusa who was handling the tent so effortlessly you'd question if the blindfold was really, well, blinding. She looked over at the Knight of Treachery and replied.

"The bounded field should ward off most threats and animals. Just firewood for master should do"

She nodded. "Got it"and summoned Clarent to head into the forest when Medusa called her again.

"And one more thing" she said prompting Mordred to look over her shoulder. "Refrain from calling me a Gorgon, only address me as Rider or Medusa" she said in a threatening tone. She hadn't meant to offend the woman, with two Rider's present distinction was a pain in the ass and calling someone she barely knew by name felt weird to her. Well if she insisted then the name was more straightforward.

She shrugged. "Got it, Medusa it is" she said before turning back only to see Iskandar at her side. She almost jumped from how he'd crept up on her, especially with all that snow.

"Hmm, I have not had to perform such little labours since I was a child. I'll offer you a helping hand" he said as he placed an arm on her shoulder.

"Uh, it's just wood Rider. I can handle it myself"

"Come now, it'll go much faster with two servants, and besides this shall serve as a bonding exercise between us" he said with an encouraging smile that made her cringe. She was all for getting along but this guy was just too much, the theatrical cape sweeps, and overly cheerful demeanour were wearing her thin. He did realise this would only take a minute at most, they weren't making a bonfire, didn't he?

Rolling her eyes behind her helmet, she already knew he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Sure, whatever. Let's just get this done" she said as they headed out.

He grinned in response. "Splendid" he said with a slap on her back that rose a yelp out of the Knight.

"Do that again and I'll chop you to bits old man!" she threatened as she rubbed her sore back, her grip on Clarent tightened. He gave an apologetic smile but didn't apologise as they walked on.

"Come now Saber, nothing but glory lies ahead on our path"

Mordred only grumbled in annoyance as he disregarded her threat, he treated everything like it was a fucking conquest and that was getting on her nerves. Hopefully this would end quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite this era supposedly residing in a region thousands of miles away, she felt quite at home in this forest. Perhaps it was the similar Topography of the Shapeless Isle, or the familiar smell of tree sap that was a constant comfort back when she was alive. That was only speculation though as with Breaker Gorgon her sight was completely sealed, leaving her with only her heightened senses to navigate the environment, not that it was ever an issue.

She could sense vibration from every direction and by combining that with all her other senses she could make out dark outlines of her environment, the best comparison would be drawing something up on a dark chalkboard in a single colour, the sky didn't exist as far as she was concerned, but the ground did.

Ritsuka had ducked into her tent as soon as Medusa was done and came out in a rather comical fashion wrapped up in the thickest blanket, there was a single fallen log in the vicinity that she happily moved along so her master could have a comfortable seat while they waited for the others to return. Being the reserved lady she was Rider was content to just stand there and wait for the others to come back, didn't stop Ritsuka from pulling her into a conversation, but she didn't mind since the girl was one of the few masters she didn't find completely reprehensible.

"So you just grew it out naturally, doesn't it ever get in the way?".

"My blindfold protects my eyes, additionally I fight through smell and sound so my hairs never really an issue in battle. As far as growing it out, well its always been this long actually" Medusa replied.

Ritsuka blushed slightly and laughed. "Right, blindfold. That was a Dumb question… Still your hairs really beautiful Rider, wish I could have hair like that too". There she was again, it was always so weird when people told she was 'pretty' when by her definition that was the last word she'd ever use to describe herself. Her sisters in their eternally young bodies were the pretty ones, not her.

Even without her sight she could feel their piercing gaze on her and turned away to hide her blush. "Your too kind master, in truth this visage is not what I truly am" she spoke words with a soured look, perhaps she was attractive by conventional terms, but Athena had made her into a beast for most of her life, and that was how she remained until her eventual demise. So no, she wasn't pretty.

"Not what you truly are… I know your legend, but I think your too hard on yourself, Medusa". Perhaps there was some truth to her words, but she wasn't having it right now.

"I would prefer not to talk about that, not here anyway master" she said which brought a look of slight disappointment to Ritsuka's face.

"Right, sorry about that"

"Don't be. Its fine Ritsuka" she said with a smile as she moved to sit further down the log. The cold wasn't nearly as effective on her so she couldn't speak for her master, but she found this weather quite soothing. It wasn't snowing anymore, and the sun was mostly down, save for the occasionally light breeze the forest was devoid of much noise… It was soothing in a nostalgic way for her, though you'd never guess by the vacant expression on her face.

Whenever she wasn't petrifying warriors that were foolish enough to visit the Shapeless Isle she'd often just lay down with Stheno and Eureliya and observe the stars. At least on the days when they weren't feeling mischievous.

The pleasant memory didn't last long though as a few moments later they would see Mordred and Iskandar walking back, carrying two whole branches of wood, though by the marks around the edge it looked like they had cut off the flowery parts.

"Sorry for the wait" Mordred said as she raised the large branch from her shoulder and snapped it in half with her bare hands and stacked them next to each other in front of Ritsuka. "Pass it here" she said as the king of conquerors repeated her actions with the branch before handing it over. Mordred stacked them as well, her helmet retracting back into her suit to reveal a focused look as she grabbed some rocks and rubbed them against the wood.

She really couldn't see it in any real detail but the outline of her face perfectly matched the King of Knights, so much that were it not for the subtle difference in their mana she wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

With a few hard rubs Mordred sparked a flame on the wood and Ritsuka sighed in relief.

"Thanks Mordred. I won't be freezing to death this night thanks to you" the girls said which the Knight barely acknowledged but instead looked out to the now almost pitch-black forest.

"I'll take watch for the night, that bounded field won't do much to stop any servants" the blonde girl said as she turned her back to them only to have Iskandar place an arm on her shoulder.

"Allow me to serve as the watch for tonight. You should remain at our master's side" he said, though it sounded more like an order.

She could sense Ritsuka's uncertainty as they both observed the two servants, with the bad mood she seemed to be in it wasn't out of the question she'd argue but it felt Ritsuka was expecting her to strike the King at a moment's notice. Was she an aggressive servant?

Rider wasn't sure what to think of them but if master was unsettled then it couldn't be good. "Huh? why do you wanna be the lookout? Your favourite thing to do is monologue"

Iskandar laughed at her remark and looked over at them. "Indeed, I do. But for tonight I think it would be in your best interest to not Isolate yourself any further"

The knight cursed in a whisper and looked back at him "The hell are you going on about like you know what's in my best interest?" she snarled, her fingers clenching. He didn't so much as blink though, quite surprisingly. If Mordred was even half as impressive as the King of Knights, then she would surely be a force to reckon with.

"I Know that in your current state of mind, you're a hurricane of resentment waiting to lash out. And something tells me your taking watch for tonight will only worsen your mood" he said as Mordred brushed his hand away and glared daggers into his eyes.

It felt like they were just a few lines short of a fight and Medusa was ready to summon her chains at a moment's notice. Mordred still hadn't drawn her weapon and if Iskandar didn't choose his next words carefully, it would be more a question of how much prodding would it take before she snapped.

"Resentment? You must have me all figured out then, huh old man?" she retorted, sarcasm dripping off each word. Medusa got on her feet, ready to intervene if a fight broke out. However, before she could take the first step Ritsuka's arm blocked her way, much to Rider's dismay.

"Mordred, please calm down" the young mage implored. She wasn't at all picky with who fought alongside her but if this toxic atmosphere continued pervading she would ask for a switch.

It was only a moment, but it felt like an eternity had past when the Knight of treachery sighed in annoyance and turned on her heel and walked back over to the fire.

Taking a seat on a large rock she gave him another glance "Fine then. It's all yours". She definitely looked like she still had fight in her but it seemed she had decided arguing over a role as trivial as standing watch was a waste of time or she'd simply wasn't in the mood to argue it out, possibly a good mix of both.

Easily falling back into his cherry demeanour Iskandar turned to Ritsuka who had noticeably fallen quiet. "Then I shall see you three at dawn tomorrow, you should get a full night's rest then Ritsuka"

With a sheepish laugh she replied, "Will do, night Rider". With one last nod to Medusa he dematerialised leaving them with a very grumpy looking Mordred whose eyes were firmly planted in the fire.

In an attempt to not let the moment fall into an awkward silence Ritsuka chimed in. "Say, I've got some snacks in my bag, You guys should totally try some". Medusa herself was not particularly big on sweets, a fine wine was much more preferable, but she needed to be supportive of master and thus far she hadn't done much more than just set up a tenth and stand around, what would Stheno and Euraliya do? Perhaps offer some wise words of comfort.

"I would love to try some master" she said with a small smile she hoped didn't look forced. In truth, wise words was just an idealised image of her elders who probably wouldn't be bothered enough to say much, perhaps revel in the growing anarchy. That certainly sounded like the course of action they would enjoy the most.

"Great I'll get some" Ritsuka announced with renewed determination as she headed into her tent to get her bag. Mordred just crossed her legs and watched their masters silhouette fiddle with her bag behind the tent. A moment later she was out holding what she assumed were some snacks wrapped in a protective piece of foil paper, the scent was a mix of bread, some vegetables, a side of beef and a few other ingredients she remembered but didn't know the name of. Deducing it was a Burger in just seconds without actually seeing it, that was the advantage of having enhanced senses with smell being her strongest and most useful navigational skill after hearing.

She happily accepted the burger and began unwrapping it, Mordred also accepted her burger with a half-hearted thanks to Ritsuka which was starting to get on her nerves. Her posture was relaxed and unbothered but every now and then she'd noticed the little scoffs and annoyed reactions she'd give whenever Ritsuka tried to get friendly with her.

She'd already considered a few threats but what was throwing her off was how willing Ritsuka was to let her be so rude. She was cheerful and always ready to stick her neck out for others but she'd never once been the type to tolerate such insolence. Her best guess was something must have happened prior to the mission between them.

She tried getting Mordred to chat with them and for a time she was complaint, but the awkward tension was heavy between them, Medusa with her already reserved disposition had nothing to say to Mordred that was particularly friendly, as a result, most of the conversing boiled down to her and Ritsuka chatting with only the occasional attempt to bring Mordred into their discussion.

Not surprisingly Mordred gave only the simplest replies that left little room for any conversation. Medusa and master only spoke of the most mundane stuff like her favourite book or the little things that happened on their previous singularity adventures and soon enough they'd exhausted all their conversational options.

Stifling a yawn Ritsuka stood, her blanket wrapped tightly around her body. "Well then, I guess I'll get some sleep"

"That would be for the best, our mission resumes at the crack of dawn" Medusa said as Ritsuka made her way over to the tenth. She could tell the girl was frustrated with herself, and Mordred's indifference despite being the clear cause was irking her.

"Yeah, so I'll see you guys tomorrow morning" She said with a smirk before zipping up the tent. She gave a respectful bow in return before sitting back on the log, without anyone to converse with the only sound in their little camp was the fire crackling as it burned into the wood.

Mordred had shifted into a more relaxed position and was idly poking into the flame with a twig, or at least she looked as relaxed as you could get sitting on a rock. After several minutes her ears picked up the sound of her master's steady breathing, a good enough indication that she could speak without being overheard.

Turning to Mordred she spoke. "Care to explain why you're giving our master such a hard time, Knight of treachery?". Mordred gave her a bored glance, evidently expecting an interrogation to come up.

"What good would that do? You wouldn't understand" the blonde said, a look of indifference on her as she resumed fiddling with the fire. Her eyes narrowed beneath Breaker Gorgon, annoyed at the presumption even if the was a chance she wouldn't understand.

Keeping her tone even she replied. "And you think withholding that information's going to make matters better?"

"Not particularly, truth is I really don't care what any of you make of me. So long as I get what I came for"

Perhaps Mordred didn't care but Iskandar's words were true, she had a lot of bottled up anger that she was holding back and to her credit she hid it relatively well, but it was visible just beneath the surface.

Were this any other day she would not have been so patient with the girl, but the mission came first. "And what are you here for? This era offers no holy grail to us servants".

"I know that much, right now I just need to settle things with Father. As for the Grail… I'll cross that bridge when I get to it"

She gave a slightly puzzled look, as someone that was very rational in her approach to many things she couldn't really understand Mordred's inclination to let her emotions guide her actions. It seemed like a good way to get yourself dead. Though further reflection suggested it was a rather Knight like way of thinking.

"I see… Well regardless of your feelings I'd like to know what happened"

"You're persistent. Wouldn't be more convenient to just threaten me?" she remarked, sounding bored and disinterested.

"Yes, but threatening teammates isn't exactly conducive. We haven't the slightest clue what we will be facing tomorrow so working well together is the wiser choice"

The blonde shifted in her seat and Medusa could feel their piercing gaze on her, scanning her face to see her intentions. She sighed after a few seconds and rubbed her head.

"Fair enough. I'm not going into too much detail but if you must know my father and I don't exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things. Wouldn't be out there to say I despise the guy"

This was hardly information she didn't already know, the legend described Mordred as the wicked Knight that seized Arthur's throne while he was off fighting the Romans. Based solely on that depiction she sounded greedy and power hungry. Traits Medusa did not respect, was she really that similar to her legend?

"So your legend goes. So how does any of this pertain to your mistreatment of Ritsuka" Medusa said.

"Well, I attacked father when I got here… And she used a command seal to make me apologise to that scum" she snapped back as though the sheer memory made her blood boil. Just how much did she hate her father?

She wasn't one to comment upon the legends of other servants, but as one that had been unfairly treated in life she could somewhat understand Mordred's disdain of Artoria, to be denied acknowledgment after having served faithfully for years was undoubtedly cause for some bitterness. But was Mordred looking for recognition or was she just power hungry?

"I see" she said, thoughtfully as she pondered Ritsuka's actions. Command seals were a double-edged sword, useful but only when both Master and servant truly trusted each other. In the case where a servant would be unwilling to perform certain actions and the master still forcing a command seal on them, well that was a breach of trust… But she knew Ritsuka would never use a command seal flippantly.

"Is that all, happy now?" Mordred asked.

She pondered the girl's words for sometime before turning back

"Ritsuka has a kind heart and wouldn't do something like that without a reason… That being said I can't condone what she did to you" she said which caused the Knight to look at her again.

"Really? Not gonna berate me more?" she questioned, seeming a bit surprised.

She shook her head before resting both arms on her lap. "Make no mistake, continued behaviour like this must stop and attempts to antagonise my master will not be tolerated… But I am no stranger to unfavourable circumstances and her reaction was rash, assuming you haven't fabricated any of this information"

Mordred sneered at her words. "Pfft, you think I want sympathy?".

"… No, I don't. I think you're entitled to not forgiving her easily" she concluded before falling silent.

A moment passed between them and Mordred gave a low snicker. "You're an odd one, Rider" she remarked. Perhaps she was more understanding than some but how did that make her odd? Didn't matter.

"I ask that you forgive Ritsuka. Or at the very least let go of your grievance"

"That'll take some doing" the Knight said with a smirk. "But you weren't a bitch like expected… So I'll try to let go. No promises though"

"That is all I ask" Medusa said, choosing to not let Mordred's apparent impression of her to irk., Ritsuka had no need of her and was too laid back on mana to ask any of them to enter spirit form, but to conserve mana she needed to dematerialise. "I'll be in spirit form, for now, to better watch over master" she said before her body faded away

She couldn't tell if her talk really helped anyone, she almost never went out of her way to talk others down but with some hope, Mordred would take her words to heart.

* * *

**Not entirely sure if my portrayal of Iskandar and Medusa was on point or not but I'll be happy to hear any feedback on it.**

**Originally this and the previous chapter were meant to be combined into one but I want to avoid making chapters overly long though you can expect the lengths to fluctuate anywhere between 1k-5k words,**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got an update out. Just putting this out there to remind everyone reading that this isn't getting abandoned or anything. I've simply been busy with life. Regarding the update schedule I edit my profile on a monthly basis so be sure to check there for updates. For the moment I'll be jumping between this fic and another with updates.;

There weren’t many feelings quite as relieving as chopping through a lump of live meat with Clarent, as morbid as that may have sounded. Mordred loved this part of her job, mostly because it gave her anger an outlet while also being fun as hell.

The mission into ancient Norway was now well underway. The moment they’d gotten to the nearest town they were attacked on sight by a local army lead by… Beowolf, interestingly enough. Mostly because he was one of those servants she’d passed by more than a few times but had almost no interactions with on Chaldea yet he gave the strongest impression that he’d be an absolute bitch to take down in a fight. Was it bad that she wanted to take a shot at cutting him down, for no other reason than just confirming she was stronger. Probably, lord knows she’d had those temptations with Lancelot constantly back in Camelot, with a mind as headstrong as her’s Mordred didn’t much care for the ethics of it.

“Master, get back” Medusa cautioned as she batted away a soldier that tried getting close to Ritsuka with ease. It didn’t take long for them get surrounded when they got to the city plaza and by Iskander's instruction, they’d formed a defensive formation around their master. Mordred and Iskander plowing through the attackers while Medusa stuck close to Ritsuka incase anyone broke through their defensive line, as slim as that chance was numbers were hard to keep track of.

“Mordred, hold the line. Your leaving us open when you advance” Medusa pointed out as Mordred pushed into the enemies ranks, the Knight rolled her eyes.

“Just standing in formation, waiting for them to attack is just going to give them time to close us in”  the Knight retorted as she effortlessly caught a spear aimed at Medusa and with a twirl of her left arm used it to sweep four-foot soldiers off their feet and spearing three others approaching. Honestly, these regular human knights were so beneath her that she could afford to apply less skill and more brute strength to pummel them into submission. The blood of her enemies spilling each time clarent sliced off a limb or broke through their feeble armour like butter.

“Our priority is defending master. Their numbers are thinning fast enough” Medusa countered calmly. Mordred, however, wasn’t much listening and with a blast of red mana she barrelled straight through the battalion, multiple soldiers getting knocked into the air like bowling pins, with the occasional blood spray as she butchered her way to the back. Breaking through the last line and glaring up at Beowulf who stood at the foot top of a  long staircase leading up to the castle gates under her helmet.

He observed them with a passive eye, his bright gold hair and flashing blades resting on his shoulder as he regarded Mordred with mild annoyance but mostly a lack of concern. Iskander could take care of that army with little effort, they’d be fine. If Mordred sliced this guy up then there singularity would be over and they could return back to Chaldea with no issues.

With a smirk Mordred charged up Clarent and in a single bound cleared the two-story high staircase between the town square and castle to swing her blade down hard, meaning to split his skull up the middle. Keyword being ‘mean’, what actually happened was probably far more predictable. Her blade was blocked by a glowing crimson sword, or atleast that’s what it vaguely resembled, beyond a crossguard it had none of the conventional curves that fit the bill of a sword.

His other hand rose and rise and faster than she could react a second gold blade slashed along her armour sending saber tumbling down the stairs. She caught herself along the way down and cursed under her breath, ready to charge again when she noticed a number of archers along the parapets taking aim and firing at her. She blocked and deflected the arrows in kind, knocking a few right back at a few unlucky archers that got arrows along their chest and heads.

“It would be very unwise to persue me any further. Understand this and give up” was the only words he uttered before turning to walk back into the castle.

“Coward, don’t turn your back on me” Mordred cursed as she charged up Clarent for another attack. Again, she was interrupted by the archers who had enough numbers that pushing through was becoming more than a little annoying. But still, she persisted up until the gates closed behind him before conceding that there were easier ways to get into the castle than brute forcing the front. And so, she returned back to the battlefield behind her, batting away a few more arrows.

It seemed Iskander was at least half as useful as he looked as there were only a handful troops left and a few of them had already turned tail and fleed back the castle. Perfect, she needed an easy target at the moment.

With four quick strikes, she sliced right through each of the knights trying to flee passed her, their bodies littering the streets. Wordlessly she got to work helping cull their numbers until there were fewer left than was worth registering as a threat, with some though Mordred let the last two flee with their tail tucked between their legs.

Glancing at the castle over her shoulder once more she cracked her neck and rested Clarent base against her shoulder before turning back to the others.

“Everyone alright?” she asked, though a bit more because it felt appropriate than actual concern. Iskander let out a hearty chuckle as he sheathed his sword.

“Hardly foes worthy of being considered good target practice. Still, they fought valiantly” The King of conquerers said as he glanced through the city square. All the civilians had either barricaded their homes or fled into the castle when their little entourage showed up at the gates. They weren’t expected as far as they could tell, regardless Beowolf did not take too kindly to their company.

“Hmph, if you can call it that…” Mordred motioned to the direction in which the remaining soldiers fled. “… fighting valiantly”.  For a bunch of regular human’s they were probably giving it their all, but with how powerful servants were it was hard to tell sometimes. She couldn’t say she cared too much if they did though. Really, the details of this mission were not what concerned her. No, at present it was just a diversion for her. Clearing her head by cutting down some meat bags.

Stepping forward Medusa whipped some blood off her chains with a cloth hanging from one of the dead Knights hips. “Master, what should our next course of action to be?” she asked as she turned to Ritsuka, bringing their attention back to the task at hand.

Nodding Ritsuka pointed down a street to the cities eastern end “Looks like most of their ranks are guarding the main castle… A frontal attack would take too long and we’d make it easy for Beowolf to out-manoeuvre us.” She said placing a thoughtful finger to her chin. She was trying to avoid it but after that 3 kilometre hike up the snowy hill, she was shivering again.

“A wise move, best to keep out of sight until we have a better idea of just how bad things are here.” Iskandar hummed in agreement.  Medusa gave a simple nod.  Taking her attention away from them Mordred glanced back at the castle and frowned. She wanted another shot at Beowolf… But she knew better than that.

“Sure, sounds good” she chimed in.

“Great, let’s move out”

* * *

 

 There was a brief pause as they sat there in her bedroom, Arturia gaze lowering to his head. Evidently, this was not going to be an easy topic to broach with her.

“…I beg your pardon?” she asked, unsure of what she’d heard. He thought of how he could phrase it more nicely, though from the time he’d spent with her Diarmuid had long learned Saber did not enjoy minced words. If one had something to say to her, better to take it head on. It did little to quell any potential outrage that any negative insinuation would bring, however.

He glanced back up at her and repeated himself as politely as he could. “Mordred, your he-“ he began only to be cut off halfway through his sentence.

“That girl is not my heir, Lancer” she replied, a hint of irritation in her voice.

“I mean no disrespect by it. I’m simply curious as to why she would attack you with such killing intent” 

“The matter is not up for discussion” she repeated, firmly. He could see this conversation wouldn’t budge. She was rather forth coming on most things he’d asked, he supposed every servant had a few secrets to keep. Regardless the knight of tracheary had made a strong impression, so strong he couldn’t say he knew many servants that could match that sort of wrath for others, at least none that weren’t Berserkers. 

“I understand, I apologise for pushing you on this”. He bowed his head for extra emphasis. She averted her gaze, having nothing more to say. The mood was shot now, enough so that it didn’t feel too appropriate to carry on with sewing her dress.  

She still had no response to give. Had he upset her that much? “…” I

Maybe it was better he’d give her some space.

“Would it be better if you're left alone for now?” he inquired standing up. This time he got a reply.

“No, you can stay… Apologies Lancer, I reacted on instinct” She said standing up from her bed and placing the thread on her table. “I’d open to telling you the story to a point but I must ask, why the interest in Mordred?”

It was true, this was none of his concern but there was something he couldn’t place about that Knight, a gut feeling that said sooner or later she was going to be a problem for the King of Knights. And if he knew this, then there was little doubt Arturia did to.

“If It is a such personal matter that you instinctively deny it you need not explain yourself”. In the end, it was a matter that only roused his curiosity in passing,  whether or not she indulged him would not change who he would stand with should matters escalate, honour among comrades as the code dictated.

Arturia seemed conflicted again, perhaps debating how much he needed. It was only momentary, however as she turned back to him again with resolution in her gaze.

“Very well then Lancer. You’ve given me little reason to doubt this friendship…” she said standing up walking over to her work desk and brushing a finger against the surface. “As I said before, my relationship with Mordred is… Complicated for lack off a better term. In brief, she was a homunculus created by my half-sister with alchemy”

“Your sister, I had not realised you had other siblings other than sir Kay”. He raised a surprised brow at that.

She shook her head. “He was my foster brother. Morgana was my fathers first daughter and first in line to inherit the throne” she sighed and looked out the window, no doubt this was not a topic she was fond of speaking about. “Or she was, until my mother was counted as part of the main bloodline and the sword of appointment deemed me worthy of the throne. In her jealousy, she mapped my genes over a Homunculus and raised her as a human child”

“Mordred is a Homunculus…?” he asked, the revelation giving him pause. If this was the summarised version, he wasn’t sure how well he’d follow with an unfiltered story.

“She is, she’s partly human and considering other factors I’m not certain how much of her is human, regardless Morgana made her completely individualistic and sapient”

Magic was a topic he generally never delved into, it served no use to him as a Knight but from little, he understood Homunculi generally had weak bodies susceptible to disease, a short life span and imperfect magic circuits.

 

She shifted her gaze back to him. “Any questions Lancer? I’m doubtful your fine just hearing this story”.

He most certainly had a few dozen of them, if she was going to indulge him this far he would not miss the opportunity, still, his knighthood demanded the questions he choose be brief, no need to make it so she verbally states she grows tired of such personal questioning.

“I do indeed. If the Knight of Treachery is a Homunculus, why does she regard you as her ‘father’”

“I can only imagine it to be Morgana’s twisted sense of humour, due to our resemblance from the cloning it would not be hard for her to condition a child into believing she is my heir and once her identity became public knowledge there was not much I could do to turn the growing tide against my perceived infidelity to Guinevere… Unfortunately, it seems she still bears some of that resentment.”

That was unexpected explanation “Phrasing it like that suggests you yourself do not bare resentment?” he asked with a raised brow. Unphased she nodded.

“Her presence complicated matters far more than I needed but I’ve never bore her any ill will, even during our final moments together”

“Even though she facilitated the end of your kingdom”

“Even so”

The Arturia he knew was a woman of bondless courage with decades of wisdom that her youthful appearance constntl betrayed. He knew the broad outline of her legend, its beginning and end as all servants were but the details were unknown. He’d always admired and respected her but were he in a similar position he was not sure he would come out of having his homeland uprooted and turned against him bearing no grudges. Certainly, he knew of betrayal with Lord Fionn but that was a fate of his own making. In this case he could not say if this was a show of honour or a lack of something else equally important.

“I see… Thank you for being frank with me on this, Saber” he said stepping away from the wall. He still had more questions, but this was enough, he would not pester her on this matter any longer.

Courteously she bowed her head slightly and smiled. “Think nothing of it Lancer. If it will set your mind at ease then I’m glad we’ve had this conversation. Do you have any last questions?”. He smiled back and shook his head

“No, this is fine. I’ll leave you to it for now Saber” he said motioning to the needle and thread on her table. To carry on with knitting her dress now felt a bit awkward to say the least and judging by the look on her face she shared that sentiment. She glanced back at her dress, having forgotten why he was there to begin with and nodded in agreement

“Right, then let’s talk another time then Diarmuid.”  She said as she walked him over to the door.

“Certainly, I’ll be at the training grounds then”

He offered a final bow before the door to her room shut. He couldn’t say he understood Mordred’s reasoning much better but if nothing else he gained further insight into Artoria’s life. That would simply have to do.


End file.
